You look out into the distance of the familiar streets that you once called home. The grit and grime upon the ground scratched under your feet with each and every cautious step. A somber wind blows through the emptied streets as leaves slowly coasted through the cool, night air. It wafts about you like a gentle touch from a friend or lover and then leaves as quickly as it comes; lost within the city streets. Faint sounds of cars driving off into the unknown blanket the air as well the occasional shout or scream to other night dwellers. The flickering lights of the buildings inhabitants glow silently through the night like small beacons to the lost; new one flashing on while others turn off almost rhythmically...like the pulse of a slumbering beast. The moon shines brightly from above as if vast spotlights on a steel and concrete stage with the stars around it like cameras flashing in the distance. At once you take it all in with a mixture of isolation mixed with a dash of inner peace as you look upon these empty streets. You take a moment and simply suck in a deep breath, as if to try and bring in the very scent and identity of the city into yourself, if only for a brief moment. Memories rush throughout your mind of experience that were shared upon these streets, memories of happiness and sorrow, memories of defiance and regret. Memories of what truly make this place your home; memories of what make this place your domain. As you open your eyes to the invisible audience of the concrete stage you present the moon with a smile as bright as it and walk off into the shadows streaked streets, happy with the knowledge that this place has not changed a bit...and with hope, it never will. Arcane Nights, created by Luminarium artist `taenaron, presents us with a sight that many of us are quite familiar with, but in a slightly more dramatic and dream-like feel to it, as if you are shrouded in a dream under a city's shadow.

To begin with, I definitely love the atmosphere that's presented here. From the darkness that shrouds most of the lower areas of the city, to slight glints of light reflecting from the tops of the buildings and structures. Everything carries its own brand of mystery and desolation upon this scene that really make it stand out quite well when compared to most other cityscapes. The prominent glow of the moon really brings the whole scene together and ads an almost Noir feel to the scene; a very nice touch that brings out even more of the personality of the composition.

However, there are still a few things that could be implemented to further tighten up the appearance of this composition. One thing would have to be better placement of the leaves. Add some further down the path of the road, but have them a bit more sparing in the foreground as they appeared a bit too cluttered and even flat. Some of the windows could even have a vague shadow of a person looking out into the moon, as if they were another lost soul within the city unsure of where to go or what to look forward to the next day or even this bright night. Another little addition would be if you could shroud the distant building in a bit more fog around the top of the structure to better thicken the atmosphere of the location and really bring in more mystery and style to the entire composition. Keep experiment with this piece as it could really become something amazing than you expect it to.

The streets of the city can bring both splendor and mysteries within it concrete walls. People have gone within to find themselves and have been either assimilated or become another lost soul of the night, forever looking for who they are and what they truly seek in life itself. Arcane Nights does quite a job of illuminating this style and thoughts within its compositional elements. From the dark appearance of the city to the many minuscule elements highlighting the atmosphere and tone, it really makes its way of standing out on its own. Although there are a few tarnishes that keep it back, the gleam of this little gem is powerful enough to glow through some its smaller flaws. Good work, Tobias!

This is beautiful. The perspective is flawless, the light sources actually look like light (I hate when starfields look stale), the clouds/sky have depth. And then of course the flying cloaked figures give it just the right amount of OSHIT.

Lovely piece I had thought that the leaves were actually bats until I downloaded the file and looked closer. Definitely one of the best photo manipulations I've ever seen. Off to have a look at the rest of your gallery now

I would like to start off with that it really captures the audience. It seems to almost be endless as well as stunning. There is so much that moves the eyes, but it's not too much. The nighttime, windy atmosphere and the wonderful effects, make me feel like I'm seeing those leaves. The sky is really what get me, it feels like it's really moving and I'm right there under it. I do agree with skillzombie, I think you should add some more leaves down the road, but other than that wonderful job. The perspective is also really done well, the buildings are tall and really good, capturing even more of the nighttime atmosphere.